RGP - Egg Explore Magazine Volume 1 Issue 2

 

Midnight Feeding Of Hens Improves Eggshell Quality

Give a hen a midnight snack and she'll lay eggs with stronger shells, University of Florida researchers have found.

Hens who were conditioned to dine at midnight on a calcium-rich feed to increase the amount of that mineral in their digestive tract when they are producing the shell laid eggs with stronger shells, said UF Graduate Research Professor Robert Harms.

The finding could mean millions to the poultry industry. About 4.8 percent of eggs never make it to market, mostly because of cracked and broken shells. With 10 million hens in Florida laying about 8 million eggs a day, the loss adds up. Nationally, the industry loses about $100 million a year because of poor shell quality.

The poultry industry, including both broilers and laying hens, will contribute approximately $350 million to Florida's economy this year, said poultry science associate Professor Don Sloan, who collaborated with Harms on the research. About two-thirds of that income is in egg production, he said.

``Eggs are mechanically handled, so the better the shell the fewer cracked eggs we'll have,'' Harms said.

Egg producers who have tested Harms' theory swear by it.

Tampa Farm Service complex manager Siegfried von Bargen said he is using midnight feedings on two flocks of about 58,000 hens each.

``Now, when I see a problem with eggshell quality, I try midnight feeding and it works,'' von Bargen said. ``In a week to 10 days, I started seeing better shell quality.''

Cindy Spence